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The contemporary art market has always been a hazardous place populated with commercial cowboys, wannabe experts and Bohemian flotsam and jetsam. The sad truth that of the 100 most promising artists of today flouted in periodicals and exhibitions, only four or five will still be known in 20 years. Like an overloaded ferryboat, as new artists push to get on board, the old ones fall off and disappear into the misty wake of an already leaky ship.

The art market is about hype and superlatives. Be especially careful when you hear comparisons to the great – the Picasso of Peliatan, the Matisse of Mengwi and the Botero of Batuan. The last thing you should buy is derivative art. There is only one Picasso and he is not Balinese. Of course all art is influenced by that which precedes but unless the artist forges some new interpretation of identity that is relevant to him and his time, an Impressionist painting in 2012 is at best a pretty anachronism.

One of the most interesting new young painters on the Bali Arts Scene is Wayan Kun Adnyna. Born in Bangli, Kun has racked up a lot of praise and awards for his newest work that feature multihued muscular Balinese men with pulsing six packs. The scenes are dynamic and mysterious, the latter enhanced by the use of masks or no facial features whatsoever. These gangs engage in common Balinese male pastimes – drinking, wrestling and eating. They are figurative but highly stylized, decorative but also full of elegant forms and traditional but also modern.

The work shows certain similarities with Kun’s Balinese contemporaries particularly Nyoman Masriadi and Putu Sutawijaya whose work also focus on the human body but is by no means dependent upon them. Whereas Masriadi is far more influenced by comic book heroes and video games, Kun’s is more akin to classical art well grounded in human anatomy and compositions. These can also be compared to the reliefs of the Borobudur Temple, which were “borrowed” by Paul Gauguin’s Tahitian works.

Kun’s work also addresses the confusion of being Balinese in the 21st century. Like the Balinese anthropologist, Degung Santikarma, he literally and figuratively wrestles with the burden of fulfilling the stereotype images of what it means to be Balinese struggling between adat and the modern world just like the temple festivals being squeezed between Pertamina Petrol Stations and Real Estate Agents selling 25 m2 condohotels with guaranteed 25% ROI!

In one work entitled the “Last Supper” a central faceless figure surrounded by 13 disciples in a lotus asana sitting on mats around Balinese dulang pedestal tables raises his hand in the abaya mudra that signals “Have no Fear”. Kun also incorporates Lilliputian and fantasy figures as seen in “The Way of Enlightenment” (Jalan Pencerahan). Here a lone figure with a surprised expression swims for his life in a rough ocean. Surrounded by fish, with one on his head, a volcano explodes in the distance. He cups a small human figure carrying a cross before him. Make no mistake Kun is a Balinese Hindu. His crucifixion is not symbolic of a secret urge to convert but rather the fear of being a sacrificial victim of the pressures of post-modern life in a tourist paradise.

Aside from being one of Bali’s upcoming artists, Kun is also a major intellectual who regularly contributes articles to newspapers and magazines. He is also in the process of finishing his PhD in Jogjakarta’s prestigious Art Academy (ISI) where he lectures on art.

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The Internationally recognized Agung Rai Museum of Art is one of the venues for a new type of tour called Artpreciation. The tours aim to raise awareness of the unique and diverse arts culture that is an important aspect of the history and influence of Bali as an international arts centre.

Artpreciation is a programme of art tours for small groups that includes lectures by art authorities, visits to galleries and museums, visiting hotels with extensive art collections and exclusive access to studios of prominent Balinese artists.

The growth of spiritual and wellness tourism in Ubud has become a huge boom for the Bali tourism sector. Art is one of the original cultural attractions which has positioned Bali on the international tourism map since the 1930s but has yet to be realized or appreciated for its enormous tourism potential.

Features of the Artpreciation tours start out with a visit to Ubud’s famous Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA), lectures on the history of Balinese and Indonesian art, and guided tours of acclaimed Balinese artists Made Wianta, Mangu Putra and Made Djirna’s studios.

Visiting Made Wiantas Studio | Photo by Artpreciation

Founder of ARMA Agung Rai loves sharing his knowledge about his important collection of Balinese art, along with explaining architectural features of the museum and cultural distinctions of the Balinese people. Agung Rai was always drawn to the arts and started collecting in 1980. The diverse collection includes works by the legendary Gusti Nyoman Lempad and Ida Bagus Made Poleng, to influential foreign artists such as Walter Spies, the visionary artist who bridged western art with Balinese art. One can see the evolution of Balinese art at ARMA. “Artpreciation tours are both very interesting and important, not only for foreign visitors but for the Balinese as well,” says Agung Rai.

Gusti Nyoman Lempad, The Witch and the Servant Ink | Photo by Larasati

Agung Rai believes there is a lack of appreciation and understanding of the ideology, content and symbolism behind the traditions and the overall development of Balinese art. “It is important to have awareness of the religious, social and artistic values found in Balinese art which is a unique part of our heritage,” he adds, believing that Artpreciation tours are essential in educating people and assisting in the survival of Balinese art.

Venturing into the studios of internationally known artists Wianta, Magu Putra and Djirna adds an exciting element to the tours. Their collections of paintings, sculptures and installations in their studios are visually exhilarating and accompanied by fascinating individual stories. The artists take pleasure in openly sharing their knowledge about their inspirations, ideas, and technical processes.

“Usually art collectors do not know where to begin,” says historian and art critic, Jean Couteau. “There is a huge amount of ‘art’ being made in Bali and an abundance of ‘galleries’ that makes it hard for collectors to make the right choices. Artpreciation makes their learning and selection process much easier.”

There are several variations of Artpreciation tours available, providing full and half day tours, including hotel pick-up and delivery. The tour may begin with a presentation and lecture about the history of Balinese and Indonesian art or on how to collect and invest in Balinese art. This may be followed by a museum tour or a visit to an antique or contemporary art collector. Lunch at a fine dining venue will be next on the agenda, where you can continue your conversation with the tour presenter. The day ends with a visit to an artist’s studio and transportation back to your hotel.

In addition, ARMA offers cultural festivals and workshops such as woodcarving, cooking classes, batik and offering making. There are daily dance performances by the best Bali dance companies and lectures on Balinese culture are held regularly at Warung Kopi. Children’s dance and gamelan classes are also offered, as is a Sunday morning model painting class. Spacious rooms are available at the ARMA resort and spa in a tranquil enclave of lush Balinese gardens with restaurant and spa services of top quality. ARMA believes in involving visitors and guests in the beauty and the culture which makes Bali such a unique destination.

Artpreciation is a welcome addition to the Bali tourism sector and an asset to cultural preservation, perfect for art lovers, art collectors and those with a curiosity about the traditions and values inherent in the fine art of Bali and Indonesia.

Alistair Spiers, founder of Artpreciation believes that “Indonesia’s culture is shrinking as rapidly as fast food and convenience stores open.” He believes financing the preservation of culture through tourism is the only way forward. “If we do not finance the preservation of culture through tourism we will lose it all together. We need art and cultural tourism in Bali to protect and support these important aspects of Indonesian life.”

For more information, visit www.artpreciation.co.id

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The one thing that strikes me when you walk along the sidewalk of anywhere in Bali that sells clothes is the relative similarities of contents of every store. ‘Same same but different’ really takes on a new dimension here. Even the Seminyak boutiques are all basically doing renditions of 80’s and 90’s throwbacks and I am struggling to see any real originality with any ‘wow’ factor, with the exception of a couple of designers which I hope to review in later issues.

It was refreshing to see that there is now Rumble Girl – a Bali Rock n’ Roll/Rockabilly/Punk Rock and Urban streetwear concept store. This store has seen a gap in the market for the more down-to-earth female who would probably have a skateboard tucked under her arm rather than a Gucci clutch. You’ll find anything from hoodies to t-shirts, from brands such as Rumble, Dickies, Electrohell, Surfer Girl and many more. I was lucky enough to score a styley trucker cap with the Rumble Girl branding displaying a lipstick that has been snapped in half. Their other logo displays a pair of boxing gloves with XO (kiss and hug) on the gloves, which I would perhaps interpret to mean “Fight for Love”.

Rumble Girl is for girls with a bit of attitude for sure. It is a store I have immense respect for as it has come from a place of vision with heart by the owners, husband and wife, Liz Oprandi and Leo Sinatra who opened the store three months ago. It serves as four ventures rolled into one; clothing and jewellery store, café and music venue. Leo, a well known musician with his band Suicidal Sinatra, designs and sells his jewellery in the store with his label St. Lukas, named after their one-year-old son. There are unisex pieces that will definitely appeal to the tattoo piercing culture that is hugely popular with locals and expats alike. I particularly appreciated his range of silver rings, especially the lucky horse shoe design. Nice work Leo.

This spot is located right next door to Hardy’s on Jl. Raya Batu Bulan and you can’t miss it with its impressive graffiti wall piece showing a 1940s pin up girl on an old school motorcycle. St Lukas café is the perfect place to stop and grab a coffee after your shopping stint or on your way to or from Ubud. With cappuccinos being a surprisingly cheap 10k each, you’ll really want to get your caffeine fix here.

The last detail, and probably one of the most important, is that Rumble Girl provides a platform to showcase local talent and be a hangout for young people in the area at night. As Liz states, “I hope that Rumble Girl can be a source of inspiration for young people, especially young local girls to start their own bands and express themselves through music.”

Bands and solo artists perform on Thursdays through to Sundays in the evenings. In the short time of operation they have hosted charity events raising money and awareness for underprivileged children and orphanages with big Indonesian bands such as Bali’s own Superman is Dead supporting them. Growing up with a father who worked for a charitable organization, Liz was raised with a very strong awareness of social issues and continues to show a commitment to making a difference which is wonderful to see. Rumble Girl is not just a commercial venture, but a place where young locals can safely hang out and perform music and raise money for charities at the same time.

You can catch up on what bands are playing by visiting their Facebook and Twitter pages listed below.

Facebook : Rumble Girl / St. Lukas Company

Twitter : @Rumble_Girl / @stlukascompany

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This beautiful pastel drawing made in 1929 by the Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet is remarkable for several reasons. Having arrived on Bali only a year before, it is a rare example of Bonnet’s early work on the island. The intensity of the young man, the son of a high priest from the highland village of Tampaksiring, who stares directly into our eyes, is both unnerving and highly unusual.

There is no attempt to sweeten or idealize the subject. This boldness is a direct carry over from Bonnet’s highly praised portraits of Italian peasants made before his arrival in Bali. The boy has a noble, self-assured demeanor but he is no classic beauty. Using dark angular outlines and dramatic shadows, Bonnet added an element of stylization often seen in European modern art during the first half of the 20th century. Nonetheless the boy remains a real breathing person, somebody we could meet on any street corner even today.

As many artists of his era Bonnet embraced the major principle of the Arts and Crafts Movement that all art was inspired by nature. So, too, he bemoaned the damaging effects of the Industrial Revolution. Bonnet sought refuge in Anticoli Corrado, Italy and artists’ village northwest of Rome. There he searched for inspiration in nature and the roots of western art. His two biggest influences were Renaissance drawings and frescoes. Eventually even the remote artists’ village proved too close to the beast as Bonnet sought an even more pristine environment free of modern influence. Bali was brought to his attention by W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, another Dutch artist living in Italy, who had first visited the island in 1904 and written several books about it. Taking his advice Bonnet sailed to the Dutch East Indies in search of his muse and destiny.

Like his more famous predecessor, the gay German artist Walter Spies, Bonnet decided it was wiser to live in the village of Ubud, a safe distance from the watchful eyes of the Dutch colonial regime, which outside a few enlightened beings was hopelessly reactionary as far as politics and social issues were concerned. Both Spies and Bonnet were guests of Cokorda Gede Raka Sukawati, a prominent member of the colonial parliament, who understood that enlisting these two men could help realize his desire to make Ubud an important cultural destination.

While the question of what relationship Bonnet had with the anonymous son of the priest is irrelevant as far as the artistic merit of the work is concerned, it is nonetheless a potentially intriguing anecdote that gives greater insight into who Bonnet was and the time he lived in. Bonnet was 34 years old, not a boy but not old, and Bali represented a magical world where dreams could come true. Unlike the flamboyant Spies, who made little secret of his sexual bias, Bonnet was reserved even formal. Although his best friend Willem Hofker realized Bonnet was gay, they never mentioned the subject in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” arrangement. Unlike Spies, there are no tales of Bonnet cavorting with underage men, a habit that would earn Spies a jail sentence in spite of his many friends and connections.

Portraits in which the sitter stares directly at the viewer are rare because they are inherently provocative. When a stranger stares you in the eye most people avert their faces rather than acknowledge the person because the act raises questions about the relationship between the subject and the viewer. The act can be both an invitation for dialogue or confrontation. It is akin to what we experience when we get caught staring at a stranger in public – voyeur! Of course we especially do this when there is something remarkable – great beauty or oddness that attracts or repels or both! In Bonnet has left the work as a true living experience. The artist is long gone but the boy lives on. Bonnet was not a shallow man. He understood this.

In colonial times a native staring directly into the eyes of a westerner was strictly taboo! In the first half of the 19th century a British military officer who visited Bali wrote an article for a Singapore colonial rag announcing his outrage at the audacity of Balinese natives who would dare walk up to him with curiosity and stare straight into his eyes! In the British colonies such a surly chap would have surely been whipped.

This was not true of everyone. Beginning with Sir Stamford Raffles a growing number of officials and interested parties began to realize that the Balinese sense of independence and pride was a good thing. At one point some even proposed that Islam had effectively placed a debilitating film over the eyes and minds of the far more docile Javanese who stared politely down when spoken to by a superior. Of course such suppositions are gravely flawed because the strict hierarchy of Javanese society and often excruciating etiquette can be traced back to the puissant Hindu-Buddhist Empires of Medieval Java. Bali is also by no means a universally egalitarian society.

The artwork also belongs to the tradition of Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera who sought to immortalize the natural nobility and pathos of peasants and the working class. It was an international movement. Bonnet would go on to create large fresco-like oils glorifying Balinese peasants. While his politics are unknown, what we do know is that he loved the Balinese and always strove to promote and protect them as best he could for more than 40 years. Indeed in comparison to Spies, who has been portrayed time and time again as a Great Lion of Bali, Bonnet has been accused of being dry and pedantic. Yet if one weighs their respective work and accomplishments the long term impact of Bonnet – the Puri Lukisan alone has proven far more enduring than the fabled glamour of his friend.

Perhaps the greatest insult of all is Bonnet’s depiction as the main protagonist in Nigel Barley’s tawdry historical novel Island of Demons. Aside from being riddled with all manner of errors, Barley has seen fit to portray Bonnet as some sort of gay Dutch hippie who after being seduced by Spies to a night of romance comes to the realization that this was a one time blessing. For the rest of the novel Bonnet pines for Spies’ enduring love with comedic-tragic results. Of course Mr. Barley is channelling his own homo-erotic fantasies but his liberty in portraying Bonnet is an utter travesty that borders on libel. Spies and Bonnet were never lovers and were not even remotely attracted to each other.

Dubbed a “Sunday’s Child” by his family, a reference to someone with a special sensitivity for art and beauty, Bonnet’s life was varied between elation and tragedy especially as he grew older. In 1938, like Spies, he was under investigation for homosexual activities. During the Second World War he was sent to a terrible Japanese prisoner of war camp and nearly died of illness and starvation. After release he was unable to return to his beloved Bali, which was gripped with violence and revolutionary fervour. When he did many of his old friends had died or fled the new order. Now hitting middle age his physical condition was vulnerable because of the camp and enduring hardship – hunger, dysentery, malaria, parasites, all manner of infections and moulds!

Once again at 62 he was forced to leave Bali for political reasons in 1957 just after he repeated this third refusal to sell a large oil painting to President Sukarno. His return to Holland was equally bleak. The art scene had changed forever. A new generation of young modern artists denounced him as an anachronism. As the nation rebuilt its shattered economy and shed its colonial legacy, few people were interested in Balinese culture.

In the end it was the Balinese themselves who honoured him for his many accomplishments. Passing away in 1978 almost the same time as his old friend Prince Cokorda, his end, however, was glorious. His ashes were returned to Bali and cremated with those of Cokorda Sukawati of Ubud in 1979.  As for the priest’s son – no further information is yet available.

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Anyone can walk into a department store and pick a mass-produced item of clothing and probably walk into a party later that night wearing the same outfit as, perhaps, three other people there. Not so great. What a special feeling it is to know that what you are wearing is completely unique, has travelled through time unscathed yet still held its own against even the most expensive designer clothing. Where might I find an item such as this?

As I approached the vintage Mecca on Gili Trawangan island off the northwest coast of Lombok, known as Casa Vintage, the answer to my question was found; my eyes feasted on the display before me.

At first I thought it is a café, as there was a colourful array of antique furniture sets placed around the circumference of the white-washed walls. Wood from trees long gone painted the colours of candy shop lollypops, along with old-school metal framing, fashioned into the coolest furniture pieces you might find in a 1960’s Cuban film.

My eyes were drawn to a floral swimsuit floating carefree on a hanger in the window. This took my imagination to the day a young girl first unwrapped it from its brown paper packaging, and, with delight, taking a swim in a river marvelling at the smoothness of which the water glides over her new swimming costume. She was the envy of all the young girls who ventured to the river that summer of ’69, and it was all because of this swimsuit that she attracted the eyes of her first love.

And that, my friends, is the journey you will take upon entering Casa Vintage, as you cast your eyes over each distinct object from clothing and furnishings to humble homewares. There is a story behind each piece and it is waiting for you to give it yet another story. So let the story begin.

Three years ago, after the success of their vintage store in Sweden, Nathalie and Johnny Josefsson decided it was time for a new adventure, so they packed everything up and bought a one way ticket to Asia. Upon their feet touching the golden sands of Gili Trawangan, they knew this would be their new home. With the serene energy of the island, and the laidback lifestyle it had to offer, they could see it would be a great place to raise their young son and also set up shop. Natalie and Johnny have made their vintage passion, shared by many around the world, into a successful niche business.

With the success of their first store on the island, Vintage Delivery, they have recently opened their new concept design store Casa Vintage, which is situated 50 metres inland from the main harbour, opposite the well-known Kafe Kecil Thai restaurant. In the upcoming months the upstairs terrace will open as a café, serving real coffee which is, as everyone knows, hard to find in Gili. Homemade goodies, ranging from fresh bread to cakes, will be served along with succulent salads and tapas, tapenade platters, organic veggies and night time barbeques. In this gorgeous setting you will be able to drink your prohibitionstyle cocktails while listening to live acoustic music at night. This place was designed by a couple who are turning 30 this year, and so for other people in their 30s (but not restricted to this age group), it’s going to be a great place to dine and just hang out. Shopping followed by eating and drinking is a successful day, whatever age you are.

Casa Vintage offers the punter or hunter, as you might call them, many treats sourced from unknown (and secret) places from all over the globe. There are both men and women’s section of clothing; items like gorgeous lace kaftans, original Levis workwear, leather satchels, object d’art and retro sunglasses. So for those of you who have not explored the vintage scene, this is the place to go. What you will find is a oneoff piece that you’ll be hardpressed to find anywhere else. Everyone has a vintage streak in them—this is the originality of the individual that is timeless. For me, it is antique suitcases from wartimes, battered and worn. I know that each of these suitcases has untold stories of transition, leaving one place for another. For you, it might be an original Dior dress from the fifties. And so the story continues…

Gili Trawangan, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
0819-1724 3808
http://instagram.com/casavintagestore

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Tamara Fielding was born in 1934 in Cimahi, West Java, in the Dutch East Indies to a Dutch father and a mixed Indonesian and European mother. She grew up in a large house where four generations of her family lived together under one roof. Tamara’s privileged and happy childhood came to an abrupt end when Japanese soldiers marched through the streets of Bandung on March 9th, 1942. After spending three and a half years in Japanese prison camps, she and her mother and sister escaped and fled to Holland where she continued her schooling. Tamara studied drama in Paris and appeared in American movies filmed in France. Following her childhood dream, she immigrated to the United States and performed her first wayang kulit show for friends in 1985. Since then she has staged shadow puppet theatre throughout the world. In 2011, Tamara wrote Shadow Princess, a book based on her childhood experiences.

What was your first exposure to wayang theatre?
I learned the art of the dalang, or puppeteer of wayang kulit, at an early age. It was on my family’s rubber plantation that I first watched an all-night wayang kulit performance. This almost mystical childhood experience proved to be a great force in my future artistic development and was to ultimately take me onto the international stage.

Can you tell us about your wartime experiences?
With the advent of World War II, my family was torn from our idyllic life and imprisoned in several Japanese concentration camps in Bandung and Batavia. The Japanese were extremely cruel, especially to women whom they expected to be subservient to men, and we suffered horribly. We were sick and barely alive when the war ended on August 14, 1945. But if we thought that with Japan’s surrender to the Allies the war was over, we were mistaken.

Did you gain your freedom after the war?
On August 17, 1945 Sukarno was proclaimed President of the new Republic of Indonesia, which signalled the beginning of a bloody revolution for Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch. Without protection of the Allied forces who had yet to land troops on Java, the lives of Dutch citizens like ourselves were more endangered than ever. We managed to escape from the prison camp and found refuge on a Liberty troop transport ship leaving from Batavia for Holland. We lost everything.

How did you cope with culture shock?
After adjusting to living in an unfamiliar country and assimilating into western society, I managed to finish school in Holland. Although uprooted and separated from my homeland, I never lost my love and passion for the art of puppetry. The magic and stories of wayang were locked inside me. Theatre was my first love. As a young adult, my passion for all things theatrical brought me to Paris where I studied acting and appeared in the American films Lust for Life and Trapeze.

When did you begin studying the art of the puppeteer?
It wasn’t until several years later, after I had immigrated to the United States, settled in New York, married and had two beautiful children. Continuing my career as an actress, I realized I had a culture of my own that needed to be exposed to western audiences. I had inherited a few wayang kulit puppets that had been in the family, enough for a short play. Soon the sounds and visions from the wayang plays on the plantation returned to me. I remembered so vividly how the dalang made his puppets dance, love, fight and fly over the white cotton screen. Dalang means puppeteer, “master of shadows,” a profession that has been dominated by men for centuries.

When was your fist performance?
I performed my first wayang show for friends at the Unitarian Church in New York. Since then I’ve returned to Indonesia several times, studying and collecting over 400 puppets. In 1999, I was invited by then President B.J. Habibie to perform at the Pekan Wayang Festival in Jakarta, the only Indonesian-born woman dalang among 50 male dalang.

Do you now make regular appearances performing as a dalang?
I formed my own theatre company TAMARA AND THE SHADOW THEATRE OF JAVA and have presented my show at schools, universities, museums and on cruise ships. I’ve performed at international festivals in Greece and Brazil. I also do speaking engagements for fundraising events. My hope is that I help people better understand each other through culture and art.

Are the wayang plots adapted to a western audience?
Yes, the stories and plots are the same as in Indonesia; they have the same endings, but I have scripted them in English and they are just a bit shorter to make them better suited for western audiences. I own a complete set of gamelan instruments to accompany my shows with musicians from the Indonesian consulate in New York.

Could you tell us a little bit about your book Shadow Princess: An Indonesian Story?
I have always wanted to write a book. My co-author, Cindy Marvell, profiled me in The New York Times. That’s how we met and the idea to write a fictional novel together was born. The book was published in 2011 and launched at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in 2012 in Bali. The story, some of which is drawn from my own life, is about a teenager who experiences life full-force during the Sumatra tsunami. Filled with Indonesian mythology, forest spirits and puppetry, this brave young girl makes an adventurous journey in search of her family. Guided by Mouse Deer “Kancil,” a mischievous yet lovable character from Indonesian folklore, she is reunited with her grandmother and learns about a long-kept family secret.

What are your future plans?
I will continue pursuing the things I love – art, travel, writing and boating. I own and captain a 33-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser called Born-to-be-Wild. I like to sit around my fishpond and entertain my grandchildren with Indonesian folktales my grandmother told me a long time ago. It would be exciting to turn my book into a screenplay and into a movie. I have also begun writing my memoirs about my life’s experiences during WW II in Indonesia and how the war impacted the lives of all those who have survived in different ways.

How can you be contacted?
Email: Javapuppets@aol.com; website: www.Indonesianshadowplay.com. My book is available at Ganesha bookstores in Bali or from www.Amazon.com.

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November 2014 was the busiest month the Jakarta Comedy Club has ever had. We had four events in 15 days, featuring comedy legends Papa CJ (India), Ro Campbell (Australia) and Brian Aylward (Canada). All these events were supported by my good friends; Indonesian comedians Dana Pandawa, Fathia, Asep Suaji and Usama Harbatah.  I am sure all the people who turned out to support these events will agree that a great deal of fun was had by all, and on the last night our generous members donated more than US$500 to The Red Nose Foundation in aid of education for underprivileged Indonesian children. It was an exhausting, hilarious and heart-warming end to the year for the Jakarta Comedy Club and we are, as always, grateful for the generous support of our sponsors and our members. Without them it would be impossible to do what we do. We will be back in January 2015 and look out for The 2^nd Jakarta International Comedy Festival and The Jokers’ Ball in April.

Thank you!

In 2014 The Jakarta Comedy Club hosted 24 comedians from nine countries.

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Step inside any reputable bookstore in Bali and your eyes are quickly seduced by glossy, colourful images adorning the covers of magazines and books praising the virtues of the island, be that of the culture, landscape and the gracious people, or the architecture and gardens, all the while emphasizing the aesthetic beauty of Bali.

The island of the Gods is unquestionably a unique visual feast for both the novice and the seasoned observer alike; dynamic colour and movement saturates the eye. Photography has been the most effective medium to share the distinctive qualities of Bali to the worldwide audience.

Mysterious images of an exotic island far off in the East Indies began to circulate in Europe early in the 1900s, and then the first ever collection of black and white photographs of Bali were published in two volumes in 1920. They immediately struck a cord with the disillusioned Europeans, reeling from the horrors of WW1 and in fear of communist revolution. They were hungry for new experiences and a tropical haven. German photographer Gregor Krauser’s images caused a sensation, and soon after, anthropologists, writers and artists visited the island and began documenting an idyllic and seductive world.

Fast forward into the future and with the revolution in smart phone technology, photography is now the fastest growing and the most popular hobby in Indonesia, if not the world. Cameras within handphones are a new hi-tech gadget that is inseparable from contemporary youth culture, not to mention other age brackets as well. While what may remain as a toy for many in the narcissists’ world, for fortunate others this activity may open a window into new creative realms, and even a career in photography.

Unlike painting and sculpture, photography in Indonesia has yet to be fully embraced as a fine art.  However, over recent years a few photography exhibitions have been held, one in particular geared to educating fine art collectors in Jakarta: Beyond Photography in 2011, curated by Jim Supangkat, Indonesia’s most respected international curator, featured works by Indonesia’s leading commercial and photojournalist, along with a handful of senior contemporary artists.

Color of Dawn (Dewa Gede Aristawan Gotama: digital print on canvas)

The Age of Photography – Intentions and Transparency in Photographs, an exhibition at the Tony Raka Art Gallery in Ubud, December 2013 – January 2014, also curated by Supangkat, featured 29 leading Indonesian and expatriate professional and amateur photographers. The exhibition was a landmark event in contemporary photography in Bali due to the quality and diverse nature of works on display.

Renowned as an island of extraordinary creative activity, there is a wealth of photographers that reside in Bali. Agung Mangu Putra is Bali’s most talented painter and photography is an inseparable part of his creative process. He regularly travels around the island, documenting the environment in both its grandeur and degradation, however it is the marginalized people of Bali that are most often his subjects. In his studio in Denpasar, these snapshots, along with the breadth of his social conscience, inspire his extraordinary realism paintings.

Ida Bagus Alit’s passion for photography has drawn him along two distinctive paths. He is dedicated to documenting Balinese religious ceremonies around the island, capturing rare events, and the unique traditional costumes that characterize separate villages. And he is always experimenting with colourful and eccentric painting techniques upon the backgrounds of his printed portrait images on canvas, striving to achieve new aesthetic results with his art photography.

D.P. Arsa Putra is one Iocal photographer who is bored of seeing the ubiquitous, tourist images of Bali and uses photography as a medium to communicate ideas that are dear to his heart. His recent exhibition in Bali, Keep Calm & Shop Til Drop, combined images in two dimensions and 3D installation works, investigating the modern cultural phenomenon of consumerism that is rapidly impacting the island. Logos and trademarks play an ever-present role in people’s lives in a world that is increasingly becoming image and brand orientated and Arsa’s works argued that the results are the loss of personal and cultural identity.

Swiss-born engineer and software developer Jiri Kudrna has been experimenting with technology and photographic equipment for many years while living in Bali and builds devices that are on the cutting edge of experimental technology. In Kudrna’s words, “The picture take process is a complex choreography between the photographer, model and machine with often almost unpredictable results.” His light plane photography method records four-dimensional images with unique and dynamic optical effects.

Australian expat photojournalist Jill Gocher divides her time between Amed, on the northeast coast and Ubud, while scouring the countryside for fresh and unusual shots. “The smart phones, especially the Iphone 5 and later models can make really good photos and the technology is extraordinary and when you used with apps like Snapseed,” she says. “You can make spectacular images that would take hours with a regular camera and Photoshop and the quality is good enough for full-page reproductions in a large format magazine.”

Amed Afternoon (Jill Gocher: digtal image)

Dewa Gede Aristawan Gotama is a young fine arts student at Ganesha UNDIKSHA University in Singaraja, North Bali, recently exhibited beautiful seascape images captured at dawn on Nusa Penida, the island southeast of Bali. Revealing an eye for composition and technique that belies his twenty something age, his skill confirms some of the depth of photographic talent in Bali.

A key element of the photographer’s process is now often related to the time invested in front of the computer screen working with Photoshop. The program allows the fine-tuning of images, as well as an array of special effects to enhance the shots. Nowadays, there is much competition to produce quality shots and the ability to technically alter images is a must. However, as Gocher says, “The new smart phone technology has been condensed so that it’s user-friendly, though experience still counts a lot in producing quality photos, this technology now takes contemporary photography to a whole new level!”

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Mike Stoner
Tuttle Publishing 2016
ISBN 978-0-8048-4629-5

The dozen or so books about Indonesia that I’ve reviewed, most for these pages, have been undertaken with a fairly serious approach. There’s a notebook and pen beside me as I read so that I can jot down quotes which I’ll possibly imbed somewhere in my prose, so I’ll have an outlined framework ready as I reach the last page.

Mike Stoner, author of Jalan Jalan

But not Mike Stoner’s first novel: I romped through it in no more than a couple of sittings. But that was because for me, and I suspect many readers of this review, there is a familiarity, a recognition that we both accepted happenstance – a job offer based on a five minute interview ‘back home’.

An added connection for this reviewer, as well as other contributors here, is that ‘Newbie’ and I came here to teach English in a language school. He landed, jetlagged, in Medan at the dawn of the new millennium, just two years after the anarchic chaos preceding Suharto’s abdication in May ’98.

When it’s the time to enter the next phase of one’s life, because an escape clause from the past may be needed, the culture shock of a ‘wonderland’ can oddly aid personal readjustments. Learning an unknown language and that knives aren’t part of the dinner table place settings, coping with different weather conditions and that if you’re able to adapt, then you can learn to survive.

Newbie’s past as ‘Old Me’ is heart wrenching: the death of his true love Laura. She is a ‘ghost’, a voice in his head who won’t leave him as he relives their intense relationship from their first meeting in a seaside tea shop where he was working, through scenes which range from raunchy to reflective. He has an ongoing conversation with her even until the end of the book 285 pages later when Newbie believes he has become ‘New Me’.

Or has he?

When Newbie isn’t having a conversation with his inner voice, he describes his life outside: the old and the new are inseparable.

It is this consistent autobiographic voice which keeps readers engaged. Incidents and descriptions are of the time, although with clove cigarettes apparently at Rp.300 a pack it did cross my mind that Stoner had got the decades mixed up: a dozen years earlier my Commodore were a cheap Rp.500 a pack.

“I walk down the street, the busy, hot, stinking street where dust sticks to me and everyone watches me. Watches the foreigner. The strange man who is so big and awkward. Out of place like an elephant in a field of sheep.”

His colleagues in Medan’s language schools are familiar, especially Kim, forever effing and blinding (Hi, Carl), aloof Naomi, and the “hippy chick” Julie. With the week’s classes finished, their Friday nights in Mei’s place downing umpteen large bottles of Bintang remind me of the glory days of Blok M. There are also weekend jaunts together out of town: to Bukit Lawang, the tourist town famous for its orangutan sanctuary (before the flash flood which wiped it out in 2003), and Prapat beside Lake Toba. (For Jakartans read Pelabuhan Ratu, Carita or Puncak.)

All that, though, is the everyday reality masking the hallucinatory conversation with Laura – not that the ‘magic’ mushrooms, ecstasy and marijuana from Aceh marketed by both sides in the ‘civil war’ then underway further north had no influence.

Inevitably it seems, as a single white guy, he attracts a girlfriend, Eka, who is not so much an on-the-rebound foil as a practical, no nonsense source of succour, something of a nurse.

“What is she to me? It’s not love, I know that. She is a sounding board, someone to tell my pathetic woes to. Someone who is mine and not connected to anything else. She is my release and my fantasy. She is my sanity too.”

– “I should go to work,” I say.
-“Yes, go to work and think of Eka, not dead girl.”

The “dead girl”, Laura, takes an active part in Newbie’s everyday life, offering commentary, advice and criticism in equal doses. The manner of her passing isn’t disclosed for some time; then its sheer mundane wastefulness adds to the sense of tragedy and his bewilderment of a life, their life together, lost. Empathetic readers will ponder the fragility of our own lives.

– I’ve had to watch you with this girl. Use her for your own selfish needs. Well, I feel responsible. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t be falling for my Ice-Cream Boy. Because of me she’s going to feel heartbroken and abused by you. I’m trying to be your conscience.
– You lost that right when you died.
– I didn’t ask for it.
– I know. I’m sorry. But I didn’t ask for what you left me.

Such is the rare integrity and intensity in the narrative as the ‘Old Me’ gradually becomes the sought for ‘New Me’ that I suspect readers will have one question to ask Mike Stoner: how much of this account of coming to terms with bereavement is ‘factual’?

I’ve asked it for you, and he told me that his reason for coming here wasn’t exactly the same as Newbie’s.

“That part was based on an unhappy event in an earlier life. However I had been through the mill a bit with relationships and stress prior to Indonesia, and really felt I had to get away to somewhere completely different. And being in a place where I knew no-one and no-one knew me, certainly allowed me to go a little wilder than I would have done before. I wasn’t the usual ‘Mike’ there for sure. There was some subconscious re-invention and certainly a fair amount of not caring about what people thought, but I’m well and truly ‘Old Me’ at the moment.

“Not sure that’s a good thing but hey ho.”

Yes it is, Mike, you’ve written an impressive story and I for one look forward to reviewing your next one.

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John Coast was 31 when he flew to Bukittinggi in 1948. His life’s journey until that point had been one of youthful idealism when he had flirted with fascism while a clerk with Rothchild’s Bank. Following the outbreak of the war against Hitler’s Germany, he enlisted in the Coldstream Guards who were sent to Singapore at the beginning of February 1942. Two weeks later he was captured by the Japanese invaders, and then spent the next three and a half years as a prisoner of war (PoW) working on the Japanese ‘death railway’ in Siam, as Thailand was then known.

After the railway was completed, alongside Dutch, Eurasian and Indonesian PoWs, Coast found himself in a camp with time on his hands. The “malaria-yellowed” minority were still fit enough to seek ‘entertainment’; Coast studied Dutch and Indonesian and came to appreciate Balinese dancing so much that he planned a post-war project.

“I wanted to take a really perfect Indonesian dancing company around the world to convince all those who saw them that the culture of Indonesia was a thing of excellence.”

The Dutch PoWs were certain that they would return to the Dutch East Indies to resume their paternalistic roles once they had been released. So they viewed Coast with suspicion, noting his developing anti-colonialist sympathies and his stated support for the nascent republican movement he was learning about from the Indonesians who had never had a country of their own.

The Indonesians claimed an international treaty, the Atlantic Charter, as the legal basis for their independence. This was a policy statement drafted by the leaders of the UK and the USA and issued on 14 August 1941, which defined the Allied goals for the post-war world. The key goals for Indonesians were: no territorial changes made against the wishes of the people, self-determination; restoration of self-government to those deprived of it; and disarmament of aggressor nations. The Atlantic Charter, with its signatories, led to the United Nations, which began with a conference in April 1945.

On 7 September 1944, Japanese Prime Minister Koiso had promised independence for Indonesia. On 15 August 1945, the Emperor Hirohito surrendered his forces and two days later, under pressure from radical and pemuda (youth) groups, Soekarno and Hatta proclaimed independence. Little of this would have been known to the POWs until their release in August and September 1946 when, according to Coast, the British POWs heard “with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, that the new Indonesian republican government was forbidding the return of our Dutch co-prisoners to the Indies where they said they had been so respected and popular.”

It was not until 27 December 1949 that the Dutch Queen Juliana signed the document transferring sovereignty to the United States of Indonesia. This followed the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, which was held in The Hague from 23 August – 2 November 1949. John Coast was to find himself playing an integral part in the lead up to the conference, and that period forms the core of his memoir.

How he got there was a matter of happenstance. As can easily be imagined, the returning PoWs “were not in tune with the delightful, but rather grey, London of the winter of 1945. … So we ex-prisoners of the Far East found ourselves continually gathering together and talking about the years behind us.”

For Coast, that meant seeking out “the classical European ballet because of my prison-camp interest aroused by the classical dances of Indonesia.” Following a performance of the Sleeping Beauty, he determined to bring a Javanese dancing company to London “to show something of their exotic quality to this surprisingly dance-minded public.”

Needing to practice his Indonesian, in November he sought out some Indonesians. The key figure was Dr. Zairin Zain, who was to become Indonesia’s Ambassador to the United States in April 1961, when John Kennedy was in the White House. In 1945, he was an advisor to the Dutch delegation to the United Nations, then in London, and was able to give Coast an update on the situation. For example, as the Dutch had occupied Batavia, Soekarno and Hatta were transferring to Jogjakarta.

Zain also gave Coast an introduction to Dorothy Woodman, a “renowned figure in Left Wing politics“, Orientalist, and secretary of the Union of Democratic Control. Busy as she was with rallies against Franco, the fascist dictator of Spain, and “incessantly writing articles and pamphlets, she yet had time to be the supreme friend and contact-maker of all the young countries of South-East Asia.” These contacts included writers for the left-wing magazine New Statesman and members of parliament in the socialist government of Clement Attlee.

Zain first asked Coast to translate a pamphlet, Perjuangan Kita (Our Struggle), written by Sutan Sjahrir who was about to become Indonesia’s Prime Minister, for the meeting of UN delegates in London. And so began Coast’s journey towards his image “of this brilliantly coloured, brown-limbed, youthful and hot-bloodied land.”

His first step was to join the Foreign Office with the intention of becoming a press attaché in the Far East, and on 16 September 1946 he started “behind the desk of the Indonesian Information Service” with a hoped for posting of a few months in Jogjakarta, the seat of Indonesia’s first government. But first came a posting to Thailand, where he became “a typical bachelor around town” and very knowledgeable about the “sorority of birds of the night“.?And it is here in his narrative that a welter of information begins which may well boggle readers, yet is of historic importance.

Coast’s personal role as emissary and intermediary is the glue binding it together and one can glide through the pages, with the umpteen names tied in with enough “compromises, plots and counterplots, rumours and lies” to boggle all but academics.

That there are an additional 31 pages of appendices, a bibliography and index adds to the significance of this book, and much is owed to the editor Laura Noszlopy.?For this reviewer, a non-academic, what stands out are the descriptions of the places and people rather than the processes. His still relevant insights and ruminations resonate. Chapter 14, These Indonesians, closes with this: There can be no doubt at all that all colonizers treat their subjects consistently as inferiors, but the root of the trouble possibly is that those colonized do actually feel themselves to be inferior because they have been unable to stop themselves from being subdued.

Has there been a radical change of national mindset in the 64 years since those words were published? Many of us hoped that Jokowi’s pre-election mantra about changing the nation’s mindset meant freeing creative thinking, but we didn’t realise that ‘nationalism’ and ‘character building’ were what he wanted to perpetuate.

…………………………………………

Recruit to Revolution: Adventure and Politics during the Indonesian Struggle for Independence

John Coast (Edited by Laura Noszlopy)

Revised and updated edition published by NIAS Press 2015.?(First published by Christophers, London, 1952)?342pp.

ISBN: 978-87-7694-164-2

This book is only available for online purchase via Amazon where you’ll also find his account of his time as a PoW, Railroad of Death, a bestseller in 1946. There is a Periplus edition of Dancing Out of Bali, his account of his success in taking a troupe of Balinese dancers and musicians to Europe.

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